During the last few days, I have been preparing myself to say goodbye
to one of baseball's true legends-- Joe DiMaggio.
When I was old enough to start following baseball, Joltin' Joe was
already a legend. After I started following him, he went on to win a
couple of American League MVP awards and, I might casually add, marry
the biggest Hollywood movie star who has ever come along-- Marilyn.
I have read many newspaper articles the last few days recounting
DiMaggio's career. The most common accolade he has been receiving,
other than for his unbelievable baseball skills, is for the exemplary life he
has led. Everyone says that he has been a truly nice man.
About now, a lot of you probably are wondering how in heaven's name I
am going to tie Joe DiMaggio and his health into poker. The fact is, I
don't know if I can or not, but I am going to try.
Years ago, the poker world was inhabited by almost all men. The men's
behavior in those days was less than perfect. Foul language was the
rule rather than the exception. The only drawback with foul language
was that you might say the wrong words to the wrong person and end
up having him come across the table at you. Dealers could be abused
verbally or in the physical sense, as it was allowable to throw cards at
them. The bottom line was that anything went as long as you paid your
collection.
Nowadays, poker rooms, for whatever reasons, have made a genuine
attempt to control behavior and language. Maybe it's a result of more
women or more mainstream people coming into the poker world. Almost
everyone seems to be happy with these changes and views them as
being positive.
The last few years also has brought about the advent of numerous
publications that cover poker, and poker news is even on the Internet.
So, now, bad conduct not only is not condoned, it is reported on. You
can't throw the cards, cuss the dealers, abuse the other players, abuse
the employees, or just generally act like a jerk without the whole world
knowing about it.
If you think that some of the critical comments that are published in the
magazines and other forms of written press can be bad, try reading
rec.gambling.poker on the "Net." If you act like a jerk nowadays, you
have to live with your actions.
I remember that when I first started playing tournaments, I did not
always lose graciously. Two things helped to change my outlook on how
I should act. First, I got lucky and won a few tournaments, which
resulted in someone calling me a champion. The thought occurred to me
that if I really was a champion, I probably should act like one. Second,
people began to recognize me, therefore, any improper behavior
probably would be noticed. I guess my whole point is that it doesn't
matter if you're just a plain ol' nice guy or you're just nice because you
don't want people to say bad things about you. The important thing is
not how you got there, but that you got there.
I'll bet that if the truth were known, a lot of people in the public eye
started being nice for fear of something bad being written or said about
them. Then, they woke up sometime later being nice just because it had
become a habit.
Who knows why Joe DiMaggio was such a nice man. Maybe he knew that
if he wasn't nice, people would say and write bad things about him. Then
again, maybe he was just a plain ol' nice man.
For what it's worth ...
to one of baseball's true legends-- Joe DiMaggio.
When I was old enough to start following baseball, Joltin' Joe was
already a legend. After I started following him, he went on to win a
couple of American League MVP awards and, I might casually add, marry
the biggest Hollywood movie star who has ever come along-- Marilyn.
I have read many newspaper articles the last few days recounting
DiMaggio's career. The most common accolade he has been receiving,
other than for his unbelievable baseball skills, is for the exemplary life he
has led. Everyone says that he has been a truly nice man.
About now, a lot of you probably are wondering how in heaven's name I
am going to tie Joe DiMaggio and his health into poker. The fact is, I
don't know if I can or not, but I am going to try.
Years ago, the poker world was inhabited by almost all men. The men's
behavior in those days was less than perfect. Foul language was the
rule rather than the exception. The only drawback with foul language
was that you might say the wrong words to the wrong person and end
up having him come across the table at you. Dealers could be abused
verbally or in the physical sense, as it was allowable to throw cards at
them. The bottom line was that anything went as long as you paid your
collection.
Nowadays, poker rooms, for whatever reasons, have made a genuine
attempt to control behavior and language. Maybe it's a result of more
women or more mainstream people coming into the poker world. Almost
everyone seems to be happy with these changes and views them as
being positive.
The last few years also has brought about the advent of numerous
publications that cover poker, and poker news is even on the Internet.
So, now, bad conduct not only is not condoned, it is reported on. You
can't throw the cards, cuss the dealers, abuse the other players, abuse
the employees, or just generally act like a jerk without the whole world
knowing about it.
If you think that some of the critical comments that are published in the
magazines and other forms of written press can be bad, try reading
rec.gambling.poker on the "Net." If you act like a jerk nowadays, you
have to live with your actions.
I remember that when I first started playing tournaments, I did not
always lose graciously. Two things helped to change my outlook on how
I should act. First, I got lucky and won a few tournaments, which
resulted in someone calling me a champion. The thought occurred to me
that if I really was a champion, I probably should act like one. Second,
people began to recognize me, therefore, any improper behavior
probably would be noticed. I guess my whole point is that it doesn't
matter if you're just a plain ol' nice guy or you're just nice because you
don't want people to say bad things about you. The important thing is
not how you got there, but that you got there.
I'll bet that if the truth were known, a lot of people in the public eye
started being nice for fear of something bad being written or said about
them. Then, they woke up sometime later being nice just because it had
become a habit.
Who knows why Joe DiMaggio was such a nice man. Maybe he knew that
if he wasn't nice, people would say and write bad things about him. Then
again, maybe he was just a plain ol' nice man.
For what it's worth ...
Mr. Coffee and a Nice Man Too
By Vince Burgio
By Vince Burgio
